Customer Reviews

Going-Natural: How to Fall in Love with Nappy Hair

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

A fantastic reference guide to caring for natural hair and full of good advice and natural hair "recipes." I've fallen in love with the recipe for moisturizing spray. It utilizes inexpensive ingredients, (distilled water, vegetable glycerin, and aloe vera juice) but it works much better on my hair than most commercial products.

The book also shows the variety of hair styling options available to naturals; too many of us think we are limited to a TWA or locks.

Finally, it is refreshing to find a book on natural hair care in which the models are truly "natural," and not sporting weaves and/or texturizers. This allowed me to make a realistic assessment of how a finished style will look on my hair. I only wish that I had this book while I was transitioning.

I was hoping to find new information here that I did not find off the internet from websites like Nappturality, Motown girl, and other nappy sites. I have been transitioning for 4 months. I have relaxed my hair for most of my life. I must be honest, it makes me think that I could have written this book. It is nothing more than a pamphlet with an advertising plug to the writers' website to buy products. Much too expensive for the "information" provided. I could have given it 1 star but I do not have the heart.

This book is a great starting point for anyone considering going natural. It gives you a realistic view of what to expect when making a transition from relaxed hair to natural hair. It also suggests some styles and hair care techniques for that rough period of hair breakage and the times when you just want to give in and get a relaxer. Additionally, the author suggests other references, including websites, that will provide further information and inspiration.

After reading this book (in an hour or so) I learned how to care for my hair in ways that prevent it from drying out and breaking. The book also includes recipes for conditioning treatements that acutually work WELL and good information on what to look for in the ingredient lists when buying off-the-shelf products. I never realized how much damage I was doing to my hair (and my daughter's hair) by yanking at it and pulling the blow dryer comb through it. And how drying shampoo really is. I had come to accept that I would have a comb full of hair that I would pull out whenever I shampooed and blow-dried. After using the techniques suggested here for "no-pooing" (a method of cleansing the hair with instant conditioner rather than shampoo) and keeping the hair tangle free during no-pooing, I have experienced significantly less breakage (almost no breakage) and my hair is softer than ever. Even if you decide not to transition to your natural texture, this book will help you stretch the time between relaxers and achieve a more healthy head of hair.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants more information on how to take care of naturally kinky hair.

Black women go through various methods of curling, combing, perming, and styling their hair in order to get the right "do" to represent their style and personality. Though geared to those wanting to go natural, this book is an excellent resource for those wanting to know the basics of haircare and key information on growing, grooming, and taking care of healthy hair. It covers areas such as what causes hair breakage, the different types of hair products, and how to transition from chemically processed hair to natural styles. Most importantly, Mirielle Liong-A-Kong showcases the joy and benefits of going the natural hair route and leads the reader through the necessary steps for reaching his or her goals.

Though there are some editorial flaws throughout GOING NATURAL and some portions are a bit repetitive, it does not distract from the message. While I may not have fully decided to go natural, the book has definitely given me a lot to think about regarding how I tend to my own hair. GOING NATURAL is an excellent resource for those contemplating the move to natural hair as it provides step-by-step procedures, illustrations, and other tools and resources. It's also a teaching aid for those who want to know how to care for and maintain their own styles. It teaches the importance of debunking the myth that natural hair can't be beautiful and easy to maintain, and also celebrates individual beauty. I thoroughly enjoyed this educational read and hope to share it with family, friends, and my hairstylist. (RAW Rating: 4.5)

Reviewed by Tee C. Royal
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

Now, I'm pretty obsessed with discovering my hair and find a lot of these books have varying/ conflicting advice. I bought this book along tith two others while looking for some answers after having gone fully natural.

First off, this book is too expensive for something that is obviously self published given the typos (there are sections that actually have her inner thoughts) and bad binding. Though I admire the author's hustle, I advise you to get it used because it's like a pamphlet.

I find that the author gives a pretty solid scientific explaination as to why our naps are the way they are and what chemicals do to them.This info could probably help natural Nazis out there convert others, and help you understand how your hair's chemical history fits together. However, it's only useful if you are deeply interested in something other then hair styles. Perhaps most jarring is the section on why the natural hair is so crunchy when growing out of a scalp that has seen relaxer.The book reminded me of a term paper; an academic study on the process of going natural. It was no real use to me in terms of making home made products as motowngirl.com has the same, if not more info.

This is not a must book for naturals but there are some things that are better said by the author then I've found in some other books. Still, get it used girl.
* before anyone comments on my editorial mistakes in here, remember I'm not getting paid to do this honeys !

Good things come in small packages! This is the best little book on natural hair care that I have ever read, and believe me I have read quite a few. Most others talk about "healthy" weave care and "healthy" perm care, and other products and processes that have no health value at all, but are, in reality, the root cause of hair breakage and other Black hair care problems. This book succintly lists hair care ingredients to avoid and those to incorporate. It explains in plain and simple language why various products are damaging to Black hair and Black health. Websites are also provided for updated information and to further the discussion on health and hair. Kudos to Mirielle! Never before has anyone de-mystified and simplified Black hair care from perspective of health and natural beauty.

If you want a book that will devote most of its time to telling you why an author made the choices she did about wearing natural hair, then this is the book for you. If you want a book that actually teaches you how to STYLE natural hair, this is not a good book. There are a few pictures with no illustrations on how to create the styles that are pictured. Generic instructions are given for say, an Afro, but no picture of what the result will look like once you follow the instructions. The style she says is her favorite pictured on the cover (soft, curly afro), NO INSTRUCTIONS AT ALL!!! I was very disappointed with its dated pictures and typeface. Try one of the others...let me know. I wish I could get my money back on this one!

I enjoyed this book for some of the photos of hairstyles, however, the information contained in this book can be found on sites like [...] for free. In fact, when you visit the author's website you are required to pay a subscription fee to access information (this, even after you've already purchased her book.)

Some of the recipes she lists for natural hair care don't have measurements so you're left trying to figure out how much of an ingredient you should use. "Have I put in too much rosemary?" "How much spring water does she mean?" "What's the ratio of coconut oil to honey?" I was left asking myself these very questions.

I wouldn't recommend this book to a friend only because you can find the same information (and better) elsewhere for free.

The pictures were nice, but all of this information in this book is already widely available. I wish I didn't spend my money on it. Just go check the book out of the library if you must.

I've been relaxing my hair for over 35 years. Due to some damage I went to wearing braids for a few years and when I finally stopped with the braids I had this massive, thick, rough-stiff head of beautiful hair I didn't know the first thing about. After two weeks of hard core combing, unsuccessful moisturizing, bad hair products and strangers reaching up to touch it all the time I could stand no more and went back to relaxing. I was completely unprepared and was running out of money trying different products that just left me with crispy hair with pore clogging oil dripping into my face.

I want to try again. This time I want to be prepared though so I bought this book prompted by the reviews I read here. While it does have some very helpful information I don't think any of it was worth the price I paid. Going to the site seemed a further attempt to extort more money as you need a paid subscription to glean anything. How good the information is there is a mystery as you can't see anything at all unless you pay.

There are possibly salons in your town and free forums on the net that could tell you volumes more than you can learn from this book. The problem with the online forums though is that information is scattered about all over the place. Good luck finding answers to your questions. The book does give some good information so I gave it three stars however there's vast room for more. Instead there seem to be plugs to check out the website which requires a monthly subscription fee. The pictures in this book are in dull no frills black and white, not very many and the instructions for styling are vague. While the book does much to motivate you it merely dangles the carrot before you to become a slave to the money scheme on the website. I'll pass.